


Borrowing Books

by MakingPoetry



Series: Albtraum 2.0 [8]
Category: The Covenant (2006)
Genre: Gen, M/M, serious conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakingPoetry/pseuds/MakingPoetry
Summary: Chase and Tyler have a serious conversation about their relationship status. Tyler tells him about the Book of Damnation.
Relationships: Chase Collins/Tyler Simms
Series: Albtraum 2.0 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813285
Kudos: 8





	Borrowing Books

"Why do I even bother locking the door?" Tyler said, stepping into his dorm room.

"I dunno, why do you?" Chase teased. He'd made himself comfortable on Tyler's bed, yet again, and Tyler was eventually going to stop being surprised. "You've got something on your neck," he added.

"Yeah, thanks to you," Tyler said, shooting him a look.

"Sorry." 

It was the first time Tyler'd ever heard Chase apologize for anything, and he had to take a moment to make sure he hadn't imagined hearing it.

While he was mulling it over, Chase had gotten up and come over to him, putting his hands on Tyler's hips. "I can make it up to you."

He leaned in for a kiss, but Tyler leaned back. "Not here. Reid was really pissed," he said. "And...I'm not sure we should be doing this. At all."

Chase's hands fell away, and he stepped back. "Are they upset, or are _you_ upset?"

Tyler hesitated. "They are," he admitted. And he was upset because they were, but...honestly, if they were okay with things, Tyler would have a lot less to worry about. He completely understood why they weren't, though.

"And do they control your life?" Chase asked.

"No, but..." Tyler huffed out a breath, shifting his weight a little. "They're important to me, and I care about what they think."

"That wasn't stopping you before," Chase pointed out.

Tyler blushed, however faintly. "They think you want to hurt me," he admitted. Chase deserved the truth just as much as anyone.

Chase snorted. "I want to do a lot of things to you, but hurting you isn't one of them," he said. Maybe a little consensual hurting, but that was a topic for another day.

"That's what I tried telling them," Tyler said. "Not that you-- but that you're not going to hurt me." Of course, just because Chase said it didn't make it true.

"You can't make them stop worrying," Chase said, stepping in again and looping his arms around Tyler. "But you _can_ decide if you're going to do what you want to do, or what _they_ want you to do."

Chase was right, but that didn't make things any easier for Tyler. He wanted everyone to be happy, but he knew sometimes that wasn't possible. He hated it when the guys were upset, especially when they were upset with _him_. It left him feeling conflicted and unsure.

At least Chase seemed to be waiting patiently for him to answer, fingers tracing a pattern across the small of Tyler's back, gentle and almost hypnotic, almost lulling him into a sense of security.

"I don't know," Tyler said after a moment. "I..."

Chase waited quietly for Tyler to finish, eyes flaring briefly as he Used on him, pouring a little bit of magic into him through his hands. Tyler practically melted in his arms, sighing softly.

"I really like it when you do that," Tyler finished. But it was also really unfair when he was trying to make a serious decision.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No."

Did that settle that, then? He didn't want Chase to stop Using on him, so he didn't want to stop doing things with Chase? He wished it could be that easy, that everyone would just let him live his life and make his own bad decisions without lecturing him all the time.

"Let's get out of here," Tyler said

\-----

There were plenty of wooded areas to pull into and enjoy some scenery. In the backseat of Tyler's Hummer, they were enjoying other things. He knew he was weak, but he couldn't stop kissing Chase, hands roaming across his back. If only all of their problems could be solved by kissing.

Finally pulling back to catch his breath, to _remember_ to breathe, Tyler leaned his head against the window. Taking advantage of his bared neck, Chase ducked his head to start kissing. He treated the bruises he'd left as targets, sliding his tongue against them.

"Chase," Tyler said after a moment, "What do you want from this?"

Reluctantly, Chase pulled back so he could look at Tyler. "From _this_?"

"From me," Tyler clarified, "From whatever we have."

"I want _you_ ," Chase said, leaning in for another kiss.

Tyler stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I know _that_ , but. In the long run. Like, are we dating or what?"

Chase leaned back, considering that. "Would that make you feel better?"

"You said you wouldn't date _me_ ," Tyler reminded him. He still remembered it; it had stung in ways he hadn't quite been able to understand.

"That was then." When he'd thought Tyler hated him, when Tyler had been _forced_ to spend time with him. When Chase had been angrier. "Do you _want_ to be dating?"

Tyler hesitated. Did he? If they were dating, that left the door open for other things, and God help him but he thought he was catching feelings. If they were dating, would that mean Chase wasn't just using him? It would mean they were something more, wouldn't it?

"Yeah," he said after a moment, voice soft. "I do."

For a moment, Chase seemed genuinely surprised. Then the surprise was gone, replaced with a smile. Leaning in again, he kissed Tyler, uncharacteristically soft and sweet. Tyler chased his mouth when he pulled away, kissing him again, arms sliding around his shoulders.

\-----

"So, you were taught to use our power?"

Tyler'd popped open the back door of his Hummer, dangling his legs out as he leaned back against Chase, enjoying the breeze.

"Yeah. Gorman made sure we all knew what we were doing with our power," he said.

"Did he tell you all about your family's histories, too?" Chase sounded a little bitter, and Tyler couldn't blame him.

"Uh-huh. We've got the Book, too," Tyler said.

"The Book?" Chase frowned.

Tyler hesitated, squinting up at the sky. He probably shouldn't have mentioned the Book, but it was too late now. "The Book of Damnation," he explained. "It has our history all the way back to the Salem witch trials." And information about the Power.

Chase shifted suddenly, causing Tyler to slide down until his head was in Chase's lap. Tyler blinked up at him.

"Where is this book?" Chase asked.

"I don't think Caleb would let you see it," Tyler said warily.

"Fuck Caleb," Chase said. "Who am I going to hurt with a book?"

"I don't know," Tyler admitted, "But the book's been in his family for generations." And Caleb was protective of it.

"I deserve to know these things just as much as any of you do," Chase said.

"You do." The unspoken 'but' hung in the air between them. There were a lot of 'but's in this situation.

"You'll let me see the book, won't you?" Chase brushed his fingers through Tyler's hair. As much as he wanted to Use on him, he held himself back. "You'd do that for your _boyfriend_?"

Tyler groaned, pulling himself upright. "That's not fair. Don't pull the boyfriend card on me _now_ ," he said.

"What else am I supposed to pull?" Chase said with a faint smirk.

"Alright, alright," Tyler relented. "I'll take you to the book."

"I knew I could count on you," Chase said, sliding out of the backseat to get in the passenger seat.

Tyler slid out too, closing the door behind him before opening the driver's side. "But Caleb can't find out," he said.

"You think I'm going to tell him?"

Tyler shot him a look. "To piss him off? Yes."

\-----

By the time they reached the old house, Tyler was already regretting agreeing to take Chase here. This was _their_ place, and not just that, Caleb's dad had died here. Because of Chase. Taking a deep breath, he shut off the engine and opened the car door.

He looked over at Chase as they walked. "Caleb's dad used to live here," he said quietly, "Gorman took care of him."

Chase said nothing. He got the implication loud and clear.

They reached the front door and Tyler unlocked it, easing it open. The house felt quieter now, more empty. Brushing that feeling aside, he led Chase down to the basement, taking the old stairs carefully.

The room was dark, but Tyler Used, just a little, to light the candles, illuminating the space.

Chase whistled when he got a look at the basement, quickly taking in the five seats. One of those had been meant for _his_ family. "Cozy."

"Here's the book," Tyler said, pulling it off the shelf.

Chase admired it for a moment before taking it, running his fingers over the cover. He chose a seat and settled himself in to read. Tyler didn't bother to tell him that was Reid's spot, instead staying standing. He felt like Caleb was going to burst in at any moment, but the house remained silent.

It took him a while to stop pacing, glancing between Chase, who turned the pages of the old book with surprising care, and the basement stairs. Eventually, he sat down in his usual spot, only occasionally glancing towards the stairs. Time seemed to drag on forever in the quiet, and after a while he pulled out his phone to start fiddling with it, checking texts, any missed calls.

Just as he was starting to zone out, he heard the front door open above them. Startling, he nearly dropped his phone, fumbling it for a moment before pocketing it and standing up. He shot a look in Chase's direction before glancing quickly around the room. There wasn't exactly anywhere he could hide Chase. There was no closet he could just stuff him into. Tyler was, in short, fucked.

"Tyler?"

The back of his neck prickled hearing Caleb's voice, and he started towards Chase. "Give me the book," he hissed. If he could at least get it back onto the shelf, maybe...maybe things wouldn't be so bad.

Chase twisted out of reach, still reading, like Caleb wasn't right above them, as if he had all the time in the world.

" _Chase_ ," Tyler hissed. He reached for the book, but Chase caught his wrist, looking up with a raised eyebrow.

Tyler pulled his hand back as Caleb started down the basement stairs, guilt clear on his face.

Caleb's bemused smile disappeared the moment he saw Chase. "What are you doing here?"

"It's his history, too," Tyler said defensively, even though Caleb hadn't been talking to him.

"Yeah, Caleb," Chase said, snapping the book shut and getting to his feet. "I deserve to know these things."

"You don't deserve to be _here_ after everything you did," Caleb said, dangerously calm.

"Tyler thought differently."

" _Tyler_ shouldn't have brought you here."

"Are we going to argue about what he should or shouldn't have done, or are we going to get to the real point?" Chase said.

"You want the real point? I don't like you, I don't trust you, and you should have never come back," Caleb said.

"Tough shit," Chase said. "I'm not going anywhere."

Caleb sighed, frustrated. "What do you want, then?"

For the briefest moment, Chase's gaze flickered over to Tyler before returning to Caleb. 

Caleb looked over at Tyler, too. "What do you want from him?"

Chase grinned, smug and predatory. "Do you really want to know?"

"Chase," Tyler said, a note of warning in his voice. His personal life was called personal for a reason.

" _Tyler_." Chase mocked him. "I want to fuck him."

Tyler slapped a hand over his face, groaning. This was wasn't going well, but it could have been a lot worse.

"And right now, I want to read this book," Chase added.

"You're not leaving here with it," Caleb said.

"Are you going to fight me for it?"

Tyler couldn't tell whether Chase liked the idea of that or not. Normally, it wasn't hard to tell, but. Chase had been beaten by Caleb once before; it could happen again.

"Caleb, just let him take the book. I'll make sure to bring it back," Tyler said.

"Tyler, you know how important the Book of Damnation is." Caleb was frustrated and he couldn't decide which one of them he was more upset with. Chase for just being there, or Tyler for bringing Chase there in the first place.

"I know, but...he's been cut off from everything his whole life," Tyler said.

"And it doesn't excuse what he's done." If Chase hadn't tried to kill him, Caleb wouldn't be so wary to let him anywhere near his boys or the book.

"It's just a book." Tyler moved to stand next to Chase.

Of course Tyler would side with Chase. Chase was getting in his head, twisting him around his finger. Caleb didn't know if Chase's intentions were as straightforward as they seemed, if he was really just interested in some kind of relationship with Tyler, but he didn't trust him. Chase had played them all once before, and Caleb couldn't shake the feeling he was doing it again.

"Fine. Take the book." Caleb relented but he wasn't happy about it. "I'm trusting you to bring it back," he said to Tyler.

"I will, I promise," Tyler said.

"Don't worry about it," Chase added, heading for the stairs. "I want to read it, not keep it." There was a part of him that wanted to keep it, out of spite, just so Caleb couldn't have it. But that wouldn't be playing nice, and it would no doubt upset Tyler.

Tyler glanced back at Caleb as he followed Chase up the stairs, looking away quickly when Caleb met his eyes. He'd known this would be a bad idea, and his previous guilt returned tenfold. It was too late to change anything now. He couldn't take the book away from Chase, and he couldn't undo bringing him here.

His shoulders were still tense by the time they reached his car. He took a deep breath, flexing his fingers on the wheel. "Thanks for not making things worse," he muttered.

Chase shrugged. "I was kind of hoping he'd take a swing," he admitted. He didn't sound as enthusiastic about it as Tyler would have expected, though. Maybe he'd learned from challenging Caleb the first time.

"I hope the book's worth all of this."

Reaching over, Chase gave Tyler's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It's already worth it," he said.


End file.
